


Primrose Improper

by HypocleverHippo



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Erotica, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Slow Build, Smut, Taboo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2020-10-12
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:29:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26978860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HypocleverHippo/pseuds/HypocleverHippo
Summary: An alternate timeline/universe in which Katniss never made it back from her first Hunger Games, and District 12 is aware of no uprisings. Gale and Prim find comfort in each other. Gale is conflicted.
Relationships: Primrose Everdeen/Gale Hawthorne
Kudos: 17





	Primrose Improper

The seventy fourth Hunger Games took Gale's best friend, his only confidant, his hunting partner, and the girl he loved with one slip of paper. And it hadn't even had her name on it. Gale had been feeding two extra mouths since Katniss took her one way train ride to the Capitol. He wasn't resentful, he knew that Katniss wouldn't let his brothers starve if their positions had been reversed. It still hurt. Seeing her family and not her. Especially Prim. Every day she seemed more like Katniss. 

One morning, he finished hunting early as he'd gotten extremely lucky, he was delivering half a leg of a deer to the Everdeens. One of the deer's hind legs had been injured, Gale almost felt bad taking it down with the bow Katniss gave him. He was nowhere near the crack shot she had been, but the injured animal allowed him to sneak up on it and draw the weapon at a relatively short distance. Since the leg was damaged—Gale didn't know by what—he didn't offer it to the butcher with the rest of the carcass. He took it home, skinned it, cleaned it and seperated the meat from the bone as best he could with his knife. It had been his father's and it was a dependable tool. He stored half of the meat while his family still slept, and then hauled the rest across the Seam. The district was waking up by that time and he tried to draw as little attention as possible while moving quickly. This much meat would be a rarity in any district, it was more or less unheard of in the slums of the Seam. When Gale got to the shack he hurriedly shouldered his way through the flimsy door, startling it's occupants. 

And there she was. He was face to face with the terrified, filthy, malnourished girl he met in the woods so many years ago. He'd caught her admiring his snare and accused her of stealing, which he reminded her was punishable by death. He nearly dropped the deer. 

"Catnip?" 

But it wasn't her. She died. Prim was her sister's spitting image, hair matted and darkened by dirt and shadow, eyes wide with surprise at the intruder. When she saw the meat in his bloody hands her nose wrinkled and Katniss was gone, but he'd seen her for a second, so clearly. He didn't mind if it hurt, he'd do anything to keep seeing her. 

In the following weeks, Gale visited more frequently. He spent time with Prim hoping to get glimpses of her sister, and ended up really getting to know the girl incidentally. She was so like Katniss, and so different. They shared an innocence and vulnerability, facial features, a snorting laugh that Prim indulged in far more frequently than her older, more serious sister. Prim refused to hunt as any killing upset her, but she accompanied Gale into the woods on occasional mornings, gathering the plants he and Katniss had taught her were safe. At first she was nervous to stray very far from the district fence, but over time—just like her sister—she grew more adventurous. 

Quickly, the two began to fill the void left in the other by their shared loss, each playing the role Katniss had for the other. Gale provided food, stability, and comfort where he could. Prim provided her company, an extra pair of hands to gather and carry food, and an attentive ear when Gale felt like going on a rant about the Capitol. Hazelle questioned Gale once about the nature of his relationship to Prim, why he never took his brothers into the woods. He gave a defensive answer about how she already knows which herbs and berries are safe and how it's too dangerous for Rory to go beyond the fence anyway. But he knew it wasn't the truth even as he begrudgingly got the words out, and he had some reflecting to do. The line of questioning had him embarrassed, and he thought he knew why. He was starting to develop feelings for Prim and of course that was wrong. Wrong because he'd loved her sister and was now using her as a replacement. Wrong because of her age. 

When Gale was done hunting and Prim had gathered a respectable amout of greenery, usually around midday, they would divide their spoils and he would walk her home. Prim's mother didn't share the concerns Gale's did, or else she didn't voice them. Gale didn't see much of her at all, she seemed to almost always be in bed when he dropped Prim off. The only time he saw her out of bed was when she and Prim had a patient, and Gale thought she often looked nearly as sick as the person they were treating.

"Thanks." Prim said brightly one afternoon as Gale walked her to the door. "That was fun." She beamed up at him. "Well, bye." She said nervously, and then without warning she sprung onto her tip toes and craned her neck to plant a tiny kiss on his cheek. Rosy cheeked herself, the girl darted inside. Gale let out the breath he realized he'd been holding in. She had smelled so sweet, looked so embarrassed, and caught him utterly by surprise. He glanced around to make sure no nosy neighbors had witnessed it. 

Their trips to the woods became more frequent, and a bit more flirtatious. Gale would catch Prim staring while he set his snares and tease her. It wasn't difficult making her blush, and he enjoyed it. They would often lay in the meadow, and one day, again without warning, Prim rested her head on his shoulder and placed her hand on his chest, snuggling up to him under the sun. That day they didn't hunt much. Niether of them wanted to leave the warm bed of grass the private meadow provided. When Prim finally rose and propped herself up on an elbow the sun perfectly back-lit her blond hair in a halo, she was stunning. Gale was about to tell her just that when she leaned down and kissed him in that way of hers that caught him completely off guard. Not on the cheek. Her lips were soft and warm from the sun. She tasted sweet, like honey. No, nectar. She smelled sweet too, as floral as her name. 

Her name. Primrose Everdeen. The name that _was_ on the slip of paper. Gale pulled away. "This is wrong."

"What? Why?" She looked so hurt.

"You know why." He sat up in the grass.

Tears were welling in her eyes. "I know I'm not as pretty as her, or as brave—Mmph!" 

Gale cut her off by returning the kiss. "Don't say that. Stop comparing yourself to her." He had to remind himself as much as her.

Her enormous eyes blinked up at him, losing their grip on her tears. He brushed them off her cheeks with calloused thumbs as he cradled her face. "You're far braver than you know, helping your mother every damn time someone's dying on your kitchen table. And don't you ever claim that you're anything but beautiful Primrose Everdeen. I won't hear it."

Prim hugged him tight, pressing her damp face into his chest. "I know why she loved you so much." She whispered into his shirt. 

He held her head in place against his breast and rested his chin on the top of her head, returning her embrace. "I know what you mean."

Their outings beyond the fence were practically daily after that. Gale felt manipulative. He was six years older. He should know better. He was a man. She was a girl. That's all there was to it. Until they were alone. Then her smile would distort his guilt into relief, his shame into confidence. It was impossible to feel guilty when she beamed at him, impossible to feel anything but love and an overwhelming urge to protect her when she curled up in his arms. Kissing her never felt wrong in the moment. It was after he walked her home to her shack in the Seam and her depressed remaining parent, when he really began to feel the crushing guilt. His mornings were sunny, and filled with Prim. His evenings were dark, and filled with self hatred. 

"I can't do this anymore." Gale swallowed.

"Do what?" Prim asked, still holding his hand.

"I'm just stringing you along like a puppy." 

"You're not." She said firmly enough, though the mist of her eyes betrayed her. "You care about me. I can tell."

Gale looked at her doubtfully. "How would you know? I've been manipulating you haven't I?"

"Manipulating yourself more like." She let go of his hand to cross her arms. "Go ahead, get it over with. Tell me I'm young and naive."

"Well... you are." Gale agreed, though it hurt him tremendously. 

"Well I know real love when I see it." Prim said.

"What?" He said like it might've been the dumbest thing he'd ever heard.

"I saw it when my mother watched my father sing. I saw it on that boy's face in the arena whenever he looked at my sister. And I saw it in her too... when she looked at you... I know I'm not very old, but I'm observant. And I recognize love." 

"What are you trying to say?" He said in a condescending a tone. 

"You're pushing me away because you feel guilty but you don't have to, I'm consenting... You think you're manipulating me but you couldn't, you're too sweet... I know what I want, and I can tell you want the same thing." Prim said patiently, ignoring the single tear that had overflowed.

Gale took a deep breath and prepared the words, "I don't love you" to cross his lips. But they wouldn't come out. His mouth opened and closed a few times in frustration, but he couldn't force the syllables to form. He closed his eyes and tried to picture Katniss to give him the resolve he needed to sever this tie permanently. Only her sister's face came to mind; blushing, smiling, ringed by the glow of the sun. 

Finally he managed, "I'm sorry. I miss her. And your right, of course I feel guilty."

"Me too... I'm not stupid. I know that we're sort of using each other to grieve. I'm okay with that. You're the best thing I've got right now."

"What would Katniss say if—"

"I don't know..." Prim cut him off, "but she's gone, and I think we really need each other right now."

Gale nodded. They silently held each other for a while. 

"She was such a good sister..." Prim said through tears she'd given up holding onto.

"Such a good hunter." said Gale, and after a pause he added, "Partner." And he realized that Prim wasn't replacing her sister, no one could.

"Did... did Katniss ever show you the way to a lake with a stone house?" She asked, "Our dad used to take her there, they took me along once but, I was only six or seven, I don't remember the way."

Gale grinned. "Of course... I know the place." Prim returned his gleeful expression twicefold, allowing him to brush away her tears once more. "It'll take most of the day to get there, but there's good hunting, we'll make up for lost time." He took her hands in his. "Come on." 

The hike was lengthy, but without any difficult terrain, and they were largely shaded by trees the majority of the time. Once Gale held up a hand to silence Prim and he crept forward alone a few meters before drawing and loosing an arrow into the boughs of a pine tree. Prim didn't even see the bird until it was dead, falling from it's invisible perch. Well, not invisible to Gale, she supposed. She didn't like when he killed things. It honestly still made her want to cry. But she'd decided a while ago that it was time for her to grow up the way Katniss had to in order to feed them in the horrible months after their father died. It had been some time since Prim shed tears over the fallen game, and this fowl was no exception. They trekked on. 

Gale stopped again and Prim froze instantly, afraid to scare off his prey that she still couldn't see. 

"Hear that?" Gale asked with a smile. 

She focused her hearing and followed Gale's upward gaze to the canopy of branches. Prim matched his smile, "Mockingjays!"

"We're close." He told her, resuming the walk. 

He hadn't lied. The lake itself was just as grand as Prim remembered, but the concrete shack had shrunk considerably when compared to her memory of a great stone structure. Inside was a fireplace and a stack of dry wood, probably gathered by Katniss, or perhaps even their father depending on how frequently the place had been used since his death. She breathed in the air of the single room and turned around to see Gale in the doorway.

She nearly burst into tears again, "Thank you!" Prim practically ran to his arms.

"Of course." He said, clamping his own arms around her. 

Prim broke their embrace to look up at him with her giant eyes. The mockingjays' song flourished outside. Out here, so far from District 12, Gale was beginning to think she might've been right. It might not be so bad for them to grieve together this way. And it's possible she'd even been right about them being in love. How could he have been trying to cut ties with her only this morning? He definitely knew she was the highlight of his days. His recent weeks, come to think of it. 

"What are you thinking?" She asked very candidly.

"Uhh, I don't know, a lot I guess." Gale said.

"Still beating yourself up?" Prim guessed.

"No." He said honestly, "You have a funny way of making me forget how young you are, and how wrong this all is when we're alone."

She scowled at him, "How do I convince you it's not wrong?" Then, again to Gale's complete surprise, Prim began removing her clothes. 

"What are you doing?"

"I thought we could go for a swim. Maybe you could teach me." she said perfectly innocently as she stripped to her underwear and piled her outer garments in the corner of the concrete room. Gale gulped audibly at the sight of her. 

He started to feel sick with himself again. His head spun. Why was he even here with this barely dressed girl? And she really was still just a girl. She was closer to Rory's age than his. She'd be in the reaping again this year. And the next. And the next. Still younger than Katniss was when—

Prim stepped closer. As she lifted Gale's shirt he felt her cool fingers on his stomach and chest. She wasn't trying to hide her interest in his body. Once his shirt was off Prim stared at his chest as she spread her palms out over it, breathing heavily. Gale was overwhelmed. Guilt, shame, and self-loathing commingled with confused love and raw lust. 

Prim's exploring hands found his waistband, and her cool fingers slipped his pants down his legs. His own breathing was completely out of control. He could feel his heartbeat in his temple, actually hear the blood pulsing by his eardrum. Prim crouched to lower his pants all the way off. She was on her knees in front of him as Gale stepped out of his clothes. She blinked up at him innocently. Her face was concerningly close to his shifting underwear. 

"Okay." He cleared his throat, "We're swimming right?"

Prim smiled, seeming amused. "Right." She reached for his hand and he helped her up. The skin of her wrist was so soft, Gale couldn't help wondering how the rest of her felt. So pale and smooth. He suddenly had an urge to feel her chest the way she had rubbed his. He swallowed hard. 

Prim kept hold of his hand and tried to lead him from the building. Gale took a deep breath, "I'm gonna start a fire so we can dry off when we get out." Really he wanted a second to himself because he felt his underwear beginning to bulge. 

When smoke began to rise from the little chimney Gale finally came out to meet her in the shallows of the lake. They continued until they were as deep as Gale's waist. The water came up just past Prim's navel. The water was cool, but not unpleasant, the sun was getting high in the sky. Nearly mid-day, he'd be walking her home soon on most days.

"Okay, lie on your back." he told her, "Just relax and keep your body still and flat, trust that you'll float."

"What if I don't? What if I sink?" She asked almost teasingly. 

"I'll hold you up." he assured her.

Prim effortlessly leaned back and kicked up her feet to the surface with grace. Gale's hands rested just above the small of her back, and on her thigh above the knee. He couldn't help himself when he grabbed hold of her, gently squeezing her thigh under the water. He was greatful that he was covered below the waist now.

She closed her eyes and took deep breaths, feeling the density of the water and Gale's strong hands beneath her. She only found herself beginning to sink once, and Gale's hand moved to straighten her out by lifting her hips back to the surface. His hand on her backside was exciting and unless she was mistaken, Prim thought he may have taken the opportunity to grab a handful of her and gently squeeze her plump flesh. She tested her theory by dipping her butt back down below the water, again Gale realigned her body with a slight grip of her buttocks. Prim opened her eyes to a squint to peer up at the young man. He seemed to be taking in all of her body with his eyes. She smiled. She dipped her hips once more and when Gale's hand predictably came back to her bottom, she placed her own hand over it and squeezed for him, more forcefully. 

He smirked, "What are you doing now?"

" Me ? You're the one causing trouble. I'm just encouraging you because I'm a bad influence." Said Prim.

"Are you now?" Gale laughed. 

It was the first time she remembered him laughing, ever. She folded her arms behind her head, satisfied.

Gale stared down at her seemingly weightless body. Both their underwear had soaked through completely and through the thin, off-white material Gale could see nearly all of her. She poked through the thin wet bra, and her panties clung to her form. The cool water and slight breeze produced goosebumps all over her pale skin.

Gale fantasized momentarily about lifting the practically nude, weightless girl from the lake, carrying her to the warmth of the fire, and having his way with her. It'd be so easy, so natural. 

"Okay, I think I've got floating down." said Prim, "What's next?" 

"Huh? I uh, what?" stammered Gale.

Prim snorted. "How do I swim?"

"Right." Gale got back on track to the best of his ability, "Roll over." 

Prim followed the instruction, careful to keep her face above the water. This proved more difficult than floating on her back, but Gale held her up by standing beside her and gripping her middle on either side. 

"Keep your knees straight, point your toes, kick up and down." Gale put simply.

The tops of Prim's feet slapped the water loudly. "Like this?" She giggled.

Gale smiled, "You're a natural, but try it under the water." His gaze drifted down her body as she lowered her legs beneath the lake's surface. Prim took off from his hands instantly with graceful fluid movements of her legs. She really was a natural, or else she was playing a game with him and she already knew how to swim. As she drifted away he watched her legs, and the way her wet underwear clung to her bottom. He adjusted his own underwear which were confining him uncomfortably at the moment, but thankfully weren't as transparent as Prim's. As he shifted his weight he accidentally kicked loose a small root which floated to the surface. He examined it. Katniss.

"Should we go dry off now?" Prim suggested a little while later. She'd easily gotten the hang everything Gale had to teach her and by the time they got out of the water he was convinced she was already the stronger swimmer.

"That's a great idea." He said, "I'm hungry."

Gale added another piece of firewood to the diminishing flames. It roared back to life cooperatively, warming their skin. While their bodies and undergarments dried he roasted the bird that he'd shot on the way to the lake along with several katniss tubers they gathered from the lakebed. Prim admired his bear chest and strong arms. Gale was more fit and handsome than most the men in District 12, none of the scrawny, underfed boys in Prim's year at school could really compare.

Gale caught her watching him. "Hungry? You're drooling." He teased.

"Am not!" Prim said with playful indignation. Gale just smirked. "You're one to talk anyway, the way you were watching me earlier."

Gale had no response to that, which pleased her. 

"Y'know," Prim said, her heart beginning to pound, "I could give you a better look... if you want." She was too shy to even make eye contact as she said it. "Maybe you could teach me a few more things before we head back."

Gale stopped cooking the skewered meat and roots. He asked as innocently as possible, "What did you have in mind?"

"You know what." Prim said, surprising even herself with her steady tone of voice. She slowly removed the narrow straps from her shoulders and the thin cloth from her chest, which her heart was threatening to burst out of entirely.

Gale averted his eyes from her bare breasts. "Look, Prim, if you can't even say it then you're not ready—"

"What? Sex? I told you earlier. I know what I want." she said firmly.

Gale looked at her, illuminated by the shady daylight from the windows and the warm glow of the fire, naked and determined. His internal struggle was over. He knew he wouldn't be able to say no. "Then tell me what you want." he said, "All you have to do is ask."

Prim's heart felt like it might give out soon, it had never beat this hard in her life. She did her best to maintain the steadiness in her voice, "I want you to teach me."

"Teach you what?"

"Everything. I want to know how to make you feel good." she said obidiently. 

Once again Gale found himself fantasizing about using the girl's body. It was all too real this time with the inclusion of her actual offer. He pictured making a fist in Prim's pretty hair and forcing his way down her throat.

No. He would have to be gentle, and patient; exercise control. He didn't mind. Gale stood and lifted Prim by her waist as though she weighed little more than the bird he'd been preparing for their meal. A giggle escaped Prim as she was raised and pinned to the wall. Gale's hands held her up with a strong grip on either of her thighs, spreading her legs wide. Their bare chests pressed together, Gale's was broad and muscular, Prim's perky and smooth. Gale was kissing her and these kisses were different, they weren't sweet and romantic, they were passionate. He gently bit Prim's lip, making her gasp. He kissed her jaw and neck, she angled her head away from him to give him a better position. Gale nibbled at the girl's neck making her shiver.

"Oh my..." she breathed. Gale's teeth on her collar and throat excited Prim more than anything else yet. She wanted him to bite her even harder, and as though he could read her mind he began to do so. Prim had never been so turned on. Her underwear, which had finally dried off thanks to the flames, developed a new wet spot from within. Gale continued grinding her into the wall. He leaned back and looked down. Prim followed his gaze. The obvious stiff bulge in his underpants was pressed hard into her groin, and he was rubbing himself up and down the growing wet patch in Prim's panties. Only two thin layers of fabric seperated them. 

Prim was realizing there wasn't much to verbally teach here. It was turning out to be more of a learn-by-doing activity. She reached around Gale to feel his back. He was so strong, effortlessly holding her up. Her fingers explored the muscles of his chest and shoulders. The friction between their hips felt so good Prim thought she might pass out. It just kept building and Gale didn't stop, she wanted to tell him to slow down because she was getting nervous she might actually faint when she began convulsing. Involuntarily Prim moaned and spasmed. She stifled the noises she couldn't control by biting Gale's neck the way he had done to her. When she stopped shaking Gale put her down and took a seat beside her. Prim was even more out of breath than him even though he'd been the one holding her up. 

Prim's gaze was fixated on his bulging underwear. "Can I see it?" she asked between deep breaths.

Gale sighed as though he were bored. He obliged, pulling down the waistband until his erection was exposed. It was Prim's turn to gulp. She reached for it, hesitated and turned her big eyes up to Gale's as though silently asking permission. It looked surprisingly large even to him in Prims tiny hand. She wrapped her soft, cool fingers around him. It was hot, and seemed almost to twitch in her grasp. The look of curiosity on her face while she squeezed him almost made him orgasm immediately. Her hand began to smoothly glide up and down. Prim couldn't take her eyes off it, and her face seemed to be getting closer and closer. When she was close enough that he could feel her breath she blinked up at him again, that same look of requesting permission in her eyes. Gale answered just as silently by brushing a strand of blond hair behind her ear and gently guiding her head the last few inches. Prim's lips felt even softer than when they kissed as she wrapped around him. Gale sighed and leaned his head back against the wall. Prim's tongue circled his tip less than three times and he was finished. Surprise replaced the curious look on the girl's face as her mouth was filled. 

The sun had already been making its way down for an hour or so by the time they cleaned up, redressed, finished cooking, ate, and doused the fire. They ended up not making up for lost hunting time at the lake after all. Gale was lucky enough to shoot a rabbit on the way back though, and his snares had caught two more, so they didn't go home empty handed. Still it was far later than usual when Gale dropped Prim off with less food than usual, and he thought it might seem suspicious even to Mrs. Everdeen. Only Buttercup came out to greet them when he dropped Prim off though.

"Thanks for the lessons." Prim said smiling, "Will I see you tomorrow?"

Gale nodded. "You can see me whenever you like." 

"Okay, tomorrow it is then." Prim said, and she pecked his cheek. She fluttered to the door and turned back to wave before vanishing.

As soon as she was inside the idea started forming. Instead of his ordinary downward spiral into negativity he let his brain run wild with a spark. He and Katniss once talked about running away from the district. He'd heard a rumour about people in the North, living outside of the Capitol's reach. Katniss shot the idea down at the time, saying their families wouldn't survive in the woods, but things change. Gale thought Prim could absolutely make it in the wild now if she were willing to come with him... Suddenly it didn't seem so impossible, guiding his siblings through the wilderness on an indefinite camping trip. If Prim could be taught the ways of the woods then why not the rest of them? It wasn't much, but it was the first bit of real hope he'd experienced since hearing the cannonfire that confirmed Katniss Everdeen's death. Gale latched onto it tightly, kindling it in the back of his head.


End file.
